Today's post is about where I live and includes a letter about my home town.
Dear Leeds
You provided a safe haven from the Pogroms in Eastern Europe
for both sets of my grandparents. Their
brick built, back-to-back houses on cobbled roads, where the women had to raise
the washing lines to allow my father’s car to pass, are no longer standing. High
rise homes and offices made out of steel, wood and glass have taken their place. After more than a century, you are still
receiving refugees from all persuasions and cultures with open arms.
I still reside within your boundaries. Born over a shop in Chapeltown, I have
ventured farther afield for work and study, to London and across the sea to
France and Italy, but have been drawn back to your embrace each time. Although the people I encountered may not have
been familiar with where you were on a map, there was a time when the legend of
your football team was known by all.
I do not mourn the disappearance of your factories and mills
and the resulting covering of grime, but dislike the loss of the small,
individual shops to the likes of impersonal giants such as Tesco. I welcome the regeneration of the dockside
and the new skyscrapers such as Bridgewater, but roads are becoming gridlocked
and I find the development projects of the city centre unco-ordinated. Will we ever see the finished product?
I may object to the
way you spend our council tax, but generally I feel you take a paternalistic attitude
to all your citizens. Your city parks do
you credit; Roundhay, Temple Newsam and Golden Acre are excellent, green, recreational
areas open to everyone. The countryside is easily reached from your
city limits and I also congratulate you on your notorious International Piano
Competition, Music and Film Festivals.
I feel sure you must
be proud of your famous sons and daughters who made great contributions to
literature, drama, music, sport and
commerce and you should wear your coat of arms with the golden owls with pride.
Wishing you continued success,
A Leodensian
What would you say about yours?
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What a lovelt post to your home town.I too miss the little shops and I get so excited if I'm in another town and see shops selling something different.
ReplyDeleteIs Anyone There
I was lucky as I worked in Leeds for 2 months at the end of 2011 and loved being in the City just before Christmas. You have some wonderful buildings, and I met some lovely people. I plan to come back to see more in time, and hopefully visit the surrounding countryside.
ReplyDeleteVery cool! New follower here. I'm stopping by from the "A to Z" challenge and I look forward to visiting again.
ReplyDeleteSylvia
http://www.writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/
An excellent tribute to Leeds. My first A to Z two years ago was all about Leicester. Didn't think I'd manage it for a start but when you've lived in a city all your life you get to know it pretty well. Don't you agree!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely X for your home! Leeds sounds fascinating with what it has to offer.
ReplyDeleteIf I could copy and paste about my city, Johannesburg South Africa, which is where I currently live, I would but I'm a bit techno-challenged on that score. But it is a sprawling metropolis, home to about 12-13 million taking into account the surroundings of it.
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